The latest on the Motu Proprio

Hervé Yannou, at the Vatican, Published March 3 2007, from the French daily Le Figaro, via "For the Record - Le Figaro: the document is on the Pope's desk," Rorate Caeli, March 3, 2007:

"The project of a pontifical decree liberalizing the celebration of the Mass in Latin according to the ancient rite has not been shelved. The document is on the desk of Benedict XVI. ... The rebellion of the French episcopate at the time of the first news on the document last fall had deeply affected the Pope.

... He could make it public particularly following the publication of the final text of the Synod on the Eucharist .... "

Rorate Caeli also offers, in a post entitled "For the Record - Schmitz: Motu proprio 'is ready'" (Marcy 30, 2007), some excerpts of Brian Mershon's report on a recent conference by Mgr. Michael Schmitz, United States Provincial of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICRSS), published by Envoy Magazine:

On the "Motu priprio":

“I can tell you that the document is ready,” he said. “The person who is responsible for it does not want to discuss it any longer,” Schmitz added.

On the "Reform of the Reform":

...the popularly called “reform of the reform” of the Novus Ordo missal is distinct from, and “does not concern the old missal” ...

On changes to the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal:

“The missal we use [1962 Roman Missal] will be left unchanged”...

On aspects of the post-synodal exhortation:

...two specific encouragements — offering Mass ad orientem and using a Latin canon and Gregorian chant during the ordinaries of the Novus Ordo liturgy — may indeed be part of the post-Synod on the Eucharist document...

[Hat tip to Rorate Caeli and Brian Mershon]

Addendum

Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith's interview (discussed in our post, "Old Mass 'missing link' in liturgical reform," Feb. 23, 2007) is finally out on Zenit (you have to find the posts for Feb. 26th): "Back to the Tridentine? It's Up to the Pope" (Zenit.org, Feb. 26, 2006) -- "Vatican Official Calls for Pastoral Sensitivity." What he seems to mean is "pastoral sensitivity" solicitous of the sensibilities of those who desire the old Mass. What we will get is anyone's guess.